This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Santa Clara, Calif. • He wasn't going to get the Oregon loss back. Or the Colorado loss back. Or the Cal game, which Utah lost during his retirement.
But Joe Williams got the second lease on the final chapter in his career on Wednesday night, as he saw a field goal attempt by Indiana's Griffin Oakes sail right.
On his previous carry, Williams had been scrambling through would-be tacklers for yards, but had fallen prey to the one great sin of his Utah career: He lost a fumble. But with five minutes left, he had another chance. Coach Kyle Whittingham told him not to waste it.
"Coach talked to me before I went out there and said, 'You, know, you gotta win this for the team,' " Williams said. "That's the mentality I had for that last drive.
Second chances were the theme of Utah's 26-24 win in the Foster Farms Bowl — perhaps none more dramatic than Williams, who rumbled for 64 yards on the final drive to set up the game-winning field goal.
It was the second chance of Williams' second chance: He left the team in September after two tepid games, convinced he had lost his passion.
One would be hard-pressed to say Williams looked passion-less on Wednesday night, setting a bowl record with 222 yards on the ground. His final seven games since rejoining the team in August, Williams said he hoped to show everyone that he still had it: Along the way, he rushed for 1,407 yards, 10 touchdowns, and blew away a program record by averaging 156 yards per game.
When a cold threatened the night before the game, Williams talked with his wife, Jasmine Williams, who told him to take full advantage of "my last ride."
"It goes to the testament of why I came here, playing for Coach Whitt and to have my family here to have my back," he said. "They welcomed me with open arms. It added to the fuel I had each game."
But Williams was the only Ute who sought and found redemption.
Just 10 months ago, junior Kavika Luafatasaga was one of the star signees of Utah's 2016 class, but had trouble living up to the expectations. With missed tackles and injuries piled atop their struggles, Utah's linebacking group was the most maligned position on defense.
So imagine the relief when Luafatasaga, who had a season-high 12 tackles including two for a loss, felt one of his giant paws strike Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow's arm, turning a Hail Mary wind-up into a harmless duck that failed to make it even halfway to the end zone. While a field goal won the game, Luafatasaga's pass break-up cued the celebration.
"It felt amazing, man, to get a win for my team feels amazing," he said. "I give a lot of credit to our linebackers coach [Justin Ena]. He pushed us through and challenged us."
In an often muddled offensive game, senior kicker Andy Phillips might've been having the most fun throughout. Just because fans don't like to see a kicker run out close to the goal line doesn't mean the kicker doesn't enjoy it. After making a 48-yarder that wobbled just inside the upright, Phillips smiled as he made the Australian rules football signal for a try — a gesture for his holder, Mitch Wishnowsky.
A former U.S. National Team skier, Phillips said he thrives on the pressure of having to put points on the board. He hadn't made four field goals in a game all season, and perhaps some of the team's confidence was sapped when he suffered an injury in fall camp.
But Phillips never doubted himself, and on Wednesday, neither did his teammates. Phillips said as it became clear that the Utes would go to him for the game-winner, players came up to him to tell him he would make it.
"That's huge for the psyche of a kicker — just a confidence boost," he said. "Then Coach Whitt came up and asked where I wanted it. In practice, we kind of jump around. Coach [Jim] Harding just kind of sets up wherever, so I said, 'Hey, throw it down wherever.'"
When his kick sailed through the posts, and when the final pass was batted, Utah hadn't wiped away the regular season. It hadn't erased the crushing late losses by frustratingly small margins. It hadn't carved a path to a division title or a Rose Bowl.
But on Wednesday, the Utes controlled what was in their power. And to the men who found a measure of redemption in the bowl victory, it meant a lot — and to their coach as well.
"We were all disappointed that we didn't close games out in the regular season," he said. "But it's a very positive way to finish out the season: We've won 9, 10 and 9 games in the last three years. It's a great tribute to the work ethic of our players."
Twitter: @kylegoon